Saturday, May 13, 2017

1956: The self-titled album by the Platters was released on Mercury Records.1956: Buddy Holly's doctor gave him contact lenses for his 20/800 eyesight (didn't know they were around back then!), but Buddy could not get used to them, so his trademark glasses remained.1959: Cliff Richard starred in his first movie, Serious Charges.1963: The Beatles performed at the Rink Ballroom in Sunderland, England.1965: The Rolling Stones, Boise, Idaho's Paul Revere and the Raiders, the Byrds and the Beau Brummels appeared at the Civic Auditorium in San Francisco.

Tuesday, May 9, 2017

1960: The Liverpool group the Beatals changed their name to the Silver Beetles. The group, which included Stu Sutcliffe on bass and drummer Tommy Moore, along with John Lennon, Paul McCartney, and George Harrison, auditioned to be the backing group for Billy Fury, Johnny Gentle or Duffy Power at the Blue Angel (formerly known as the Wyvern Social Club), a club owned by manager Allan Williams. Fury, Gentle, and Power were all looking for bands, and four other groups, including Gerry and the Pacemakers, auditioned the same day. Moore was late, so the group used Johnny Hutchinson, the drummer from the group the Cassanovas, another auditioning group. Despite the fact that the drummer had never practiced with them, the Silver Beetles were still the class of the five. Fury indicated that this was the band for him. Moore then came staggering through the door and took over on drums. Not too long afterwards, Fury abruptly decided that he didn't need a band, and the Silver Beetles were subsequently assigned to back Gentle on an upcoming tour of Scotland. (Note: some websites claim that the group changed their name to the Silver Beetles on May 20, but according to the book 'The Beatles As Musicians: The Quarry Men Through Rubber Soul' by Walter Everett, the name change occurred on May 10. Some websites say that the group changed their name from Johnny & the Moondogs to the Silver Beetles on this date. According to 'The Beatles Bible', the group stopped using the name Johnny & the Moondogs in January, and briefly called themselves the Beatals before switching to the Silver Beetles.)

Monday, May 8, 2017

1958: Disc Jockey Alan Freed quit radio station WINS in New York City after they refused to stand behind him in the wake of recent charges of inciting a riot at a Boston concert.Bill Black's Combo pictured with the Beatles during a tour...

1960: The great instrumental "White Silver Sands" by Bill Black's Combo was #1 for the third out of four weeks on the R&B chart.1960: Elvis Presley held on to #1 for a third week with "Stuck On You". Incredibly, it was Elvis's 74th week at #1 in his career. All this in just five years.1963: The Rolling Stones signed a contract with manager Andrew Loog Oldham's company Impact, agreeing to license their records in the U.K. to Decca Records.1964: Few people can match this performance with their first single. On this date, we were first introduced to this duo. They debuted on the chart with "A World Without Love", which would go on to reach #1 for...Peter & Gordon.1964: The Animals, Chuck Berry and the Nashville Teens played at the Astoria Theatre in London.

1964: "Hello, Dolly!" by Louis Armstrong ended the Beatles' 14-week monopoly at #1. The Beatles were still second with "Do You Want to Know A Secret". Mary Wells moved up with "My Guy", leapfrogging "Bits And Pieces" from the Dave Clark Five, while the Beatles' former #1--"Can't Buy Me Love", was fifth.1964: The Beatles' Second Album continued to top the chart with Meet the Beatles! coming in second. Hello, Dolly! remained at #3, the Dave Clark Five moved up to #4 with Glad All Over and Al Hirt had the fifth-biggest album with Honey in the Horn.1966: The Doors auditioned to be the house band at the Whisky A Go Go in West Hollywood, California.1966: Karen Carpenter signed her first recording contract with Magic Lamp Records at the age of 16.1967: Sandy Shaw had the #1 record in the U.K. with "Puppet On A String".

1970: Tyrone Davis owned the #1 song on the R&B chart for the second consecutive week with "Turn Back The Hands Of Time".

Remember this one from Marmalade?1970: The Guess Who scored their only #1 song with "American Woman"/"No Sugar Tonight". "ABC" by the Jackson 5 slipped while the Beatles were at 3 with "Let It Be". The Ides of March moved from 9 to 4 with "Vehicle". The rest of the Top 10: "Spirit In The Sky", #1 in most places for Norman Greenbaum, the Friends of Distinction with "Love or Let Me Be Lonely", Ray Stevens surprised everyone with a 16-7 move for "Everything Is Beautiful", John Lennon with "Instant Karma", Tyrone Davis wanted to "Turn Back The Hands Of Time" and the Marmalade moved in with "Reflections Of My Life".1973: Mick Jagger, lead singer of the Rolling Stones, contributed $150,000 for victims of a Nicaraguan earthquake, adding to the $350,000 raised in a benefit concert by the group.1974: Bob Dylan, Pete Seeger and Arlo Guthrie performed "Blowin In The Wind" and "Spanish Is The Loving Tongue" for a benefit concert for Chile at New York City's Felt Forum. 1974: Bruce Springsteen gave a two-hour performance at the Harvard Square Theatre in Cambridge, Massachusetts in opening for Bonnie Raitt. Jon Landau, who would later become the manager and producer for Springsteen, famously said in Boston's The Real Paper, "I saw the future of rock and roll and its name is Bruce Springsteen." (Note: some websites report that the concert was at the Boston Arena. According to the newspaper 'The Boston Globe', the concert was at Harvard Square Theatre in Cambridge.)1974: The Eagles performed at the Syria Mosque in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania for their On the Border tour.1978: Fee Waybill of the Tubes fell off a stage in England, breaking his leg.1981: "Morning Train" by Sheena Easton remained at #1 on the Adult Contemporary chart.

1981: It wasn't a huge hit, but still a tasty song by Lee Ritenour. On this date, it was the hottest new song, rising from 80 to 65--"Is It You".1981: Styx had a #1 album with Paradise Theater, knocking off Hi Infidelity from REO Speedwagon. Arc of a Diver by Steve Winwood was #3 followed by the Who's Face Dances and the great Grover Washington, Jr. album Winelight. The rest of the Top 10: Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap by AC/DC, Moving Pictures from Rush, Another Ticket by Eric Clapton at #8, Double Fantasy from John Lennon and Dad Loves His Work by James Taylor at #10.1987: Starship began a four-week stay at #1 in the U.K. with "Nothing's Gonna' Stop Us Now". It made lead singer Grace Slick the oldest woman (48) to ever hit #1 in the U.K.

1987: The Cutting Crew remained at #1 with "(I Just) Died In Your Arms". Jody Watley was #2 with "Looking For A New Love" while U2 held down #3 "With Or Without You". The rest of the Top 10: "La Isla Bonita" from Madonna, "Don't Dream It's Over", the former #1 for Crowded House now at #5, "Sign 'O' The Times" from Prince at 6, Chris DeBurgh scored his first Top 10 with an 16-8 jump for "The Lady In Red", Fleetwood Mac was at 9 with "Big Love" and Aretha Franklin & George Michael slid to #10 with "I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me)".1987: Atlantic Starr moved into the #1 slot on the R&B chart with "Always".1987: The Joshua Tree continued to set the pace on the Album chart for U2. Licensed To Ill by the Beastie Boys was at 2 with Slippery When Wet from Bon Jovi still hanging around the top. The rest of the Top 10: Look What the Cat Dragged In from Poison, Paul Simon's landmark Graceland album, Sign 'O' the Times by Prince at #6, Trio from Linda Ronstadt, Dolly Parton and Emmylou Harris at #7, Europe's The Final Countdown at #8, Bryan Adams at #9 with Into the Fire and Whitesnake moved from 19-10 with their self-titled album.

1987: "The Finer Things" by Steve Winwood spent a third week atop the Adult Contemporary chart.1992: Will Smith married songwriter Sheree Zampino.1992: Bruce Springsteen appeared on Saturday Night Live on NBC-TV.

1992: "Under The Bridge" gave the Red Hot Chili Peppers their first Top 10 song.

1992: "Hazard" by Richard Marx was the new #1 on the Adult Contemporary chart.1995: Elton John won the Polar Music Prize in Sweden.1998: Brian Wilson, genius of the Beach Boys, began to make a remarkable comeback from mental illness when he performed his first-ever solo concert at the Norris Cultural Center in St. Charles, Illinois. His heart-wrenching story is captured in the great movie Love and Mercy.

1998: The Soundtrack to "Titanic" was #1 on the Album chart for the 16th week in a row with One Step at a Time from George Strait and another soundtrack, City of Angels close behind. Let's Talk About Love by Celine Dion was #4 followed by the great debut from Savage Garden that held down #5.2003: Wyclef Jean of the Fugees signed with J Records.2009: Anne Murray received an honorary degree from University of Prince Edward Island in Canada.

Born This Day:1937: Dave Prater (Sam and Dave) was born in Ocilla, Georgia; died in a one-car automobile accident in Sycamore, Georgia on April 9, 1988.1937: Sonny Curtis of the Crickets (also wrote songs for the Everly Brothers) was born in Meadow, Texas1939: Nokie Edwards, guitarist of the Ventures, was born in Lahoma, Oklahoma.1941: Pete Birrell, bassist of Freddy & the Dreamers, was born in Manchester, Lancashire, England.1941: Danny Rapp, lead singer of Danny & the Juniors, was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; died April 5, 1983 of an apparent suicide in Parker, Arizona.1942: Tommy Roe was born in Atlanta, Georgia.1943: Bruce Milner, keyboardist of Every Mother's Son, was born in Brooklyn, New York.1944: Don Dannemann, lead singer of The Cyrkle, was born in Brooklyn, New York.1944: Richie Furay of Buffalo Springfield and Poco, was born in Yellow Springs, Ohio.1945: Steve Katz, guitarist of Blood, Sweat and Tears and also a producer, was born in Brooklyn, New York.1946: Clint Holmes ("Playground In My Mind") was born in Bournemouth, Hampshire, England. (Note: some websites naively say Holmes was born in Bournemouth, Dorset, England. Bournemouth was part of the county of Hampshire until 1974, when the Local Government Act made it part of Dorset. But that was long after Holmes was born, and a check of his birth certificate will show that he was born in the county of Hampshire, not Dorset.)

1949: Billy Joel was born in the Bronx, New York. (Note: some websites say he was born in New York City, others say Billy was born in Long Island, New York. First off, Long Island is not a city but just an island. Joel confirms on his website that he was born in the Bronx.)1950: Tom Petersson, bassist with Cheap Trick, was born in Rockford, Illinois.1953: John Edwards, bass guitar player for Status Quo, was born in Chiswick, London. 1962: Dave Gahan of Depeche Mode was born in Chigwell, Essex, England. (Note: some websites report Gahan was born in Epping, England, or Epping, Essex, England. According to the official website for Depeche Mode, Gahan says he was born in Chigwell,)1971: Paul "Guigsy" McGuigan, bassist and a founding member of Oasis, was born in Manchester, England. (Note: several websites report Paul was born in Barton-upon-Irwell, Lancashire, England. Oasis websites report that McGuigan was born in Manchester. Although no credible sources exist for his birthplace, our best information indicates he was born in Manchester.)1975: Ryan "Nik" Vikedal, drummer for Nickelback, was born in Calgary, Alberta, Canada.1975: Tamia (Tamla Marilyn Washington) was born in Windsor, Ontario, Canada.

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About Me

I worked at KFXD-AM & FM in Boise, Idaho for 10 years, serving as Research Director, Music Director and Sports Director among other things. During this time, I researched, organized and produced several music specials including The Top 500 Songs of All-Time and The Top 100 Artists of the Rock Era.
I started Inside The Rock Era in 2011 to counter the sea of misinformation about rock music in general and specifically which songs, albums and artists were the most successful. Since that time, Inside The Rock Era has received over one million page views.
I am the author of two books, The Top 500 Songs of the Rock Era* and The Top 100 Female Artists of the Rock Era*, both available in softcover and Kindle on Amazon and on this website.